Choosing a place for Lectio Divina

...the desert where Jesus prayed and was tempted...

When you want to immerse yourself in this prayerful reading, your first job is to select a place where you can be quiet and alone, where you can pray to your Father in secret (Mt 6:5-6) and maybe even reach contemplation.

Your own private room can be a place where you taste the presence of God and maintain your awareness of God. This place is also, in fact, the arena for your heart's struggle. It is the desert where Jesus prayed and was tempted (Mk 1:1, 35; Mt 4:1-11). It is the place where God draws you close ta speak to your heart and to fill you with divine gifts, transforming the arid chasms of your heart into lush valleys and doorways of hope (Hos 2:15). Then, in this solitary place you will find your spiritual youth renewed, you will find your own song to sing to your Lord, your Bridegroom. You will sense how much you belong to him alone and how you can live in peace with all persons and all creation (cf. Hos 2:18-25).

Your own room can be a sanctuary where God puts you to the test by the Word and humbles you. But as he does so, he educates, consoles, and nourishes you.